Paul Ryan: ‘This Shutdown Did Not Need to Happen’

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) told members of Congress on Monday evening that the government shutdown that started the previous weekend should never have happened.

The shutdown kicked in after Congress failed to pass a budget on Friday, and it lasted until Monday when Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) agreed to a deal to fund the government through February 8. Ryan decried the reasons for shutting the government down, declaring that it was "needless."

"I know there is great relief that this episode is coming to an end. This shutdown did not need to happen. However brief, it inflicted needless costs on the country," he said. "There are no winners here today, I want to make that clear."

Ryan also called for work to be done in good faith on immigration as well as military funding.

"We need to move forward in good faith, yes on DACA and immigration, yes on funding our military so that it gets the resources that our military so badly needs," he said. "Let us address these urgent challenges."

Ryan also asked for the audience to recognize the contribution of servicemen and women, leading to hardy applause. He then told the chamber to govern better to prevent men and women in the armed forces from suffering in the future.

"They and their families are the ones get caught in the middle of things like this," he said. "For them, these aren’t political debates. Their livelihoods, and the country’s safety and security, depend on responsible governing."

He finished by saying he hoped members do not face the same situation again, and he thanked them for showing patience.

Paul CrookstonEmail Paul | Full Bio | RSSPaul Crookston is a media analyst with the Washington Free Beacon. He was previously a Collegiate Network fellow at National Review. A 2016 graduate of Gordon College in Wenham, Mass., he served as the managing editor of the Tartan campus newspaper. He is originally from Tampa, Fla., but he still roots for Dad’s Ohio teams. His Twitter handle is @P_Crookston. He can be reached at crookston@freebeacon.com.